Guinea pigs, which are not pigs and not from Guinea, are domesticated rodents that do not exist in the wild.
DNA studies suggest that the montane guinea pig, native to the South American Andes, is the likely ancestor of our pet pigs, and that the domestication process began between 6000 and 2000BC.
- It looks like a guinea pig on steroids, is nearly as big as a single mattress, weighs the same as a tumble dryer – and is a dab hand at swimming underwater too
- Mountain chicken, guinea pig, honey bear, bearcat – animals with completely the wrong names, misleading monikers and curious cases of mistaken identity
Domestic guinea pigs bear a fairly close resemblance to montane guinea pigs but, most strikingly, our pet pigs have a wide range of coat type and colour – a trait that has been artificially selected by humans.
Wild montane guinea pigs, on the other hand, are uniformly grey-brown, which helps them stay camouflaged in their rocky mountain homes.
Not only do domesticated and wild guinea pigs have different appearances, but they also behave differently.
Compared to montane guinea pigs, scientists have found that our pet pigs are less exploratory, less likely to take risks and a lot more sociable.
Again, this is the result of artificial selection – we have bred domesticated guinea pigs to have traits that we favour.
Top image: Brazilian guinea pig (Cavia aperea). Credit: Santiago Urquijo/Getty Images
